Here We Are Again

This past week it happened again.  One of the assistant Pastors of our church is leaving to take over a head pastorate, and he and his wife would like the house cleaned so they can put it on the market.

The first question, of course, was, "Can you come on Friday?"

How is it that, knowing so many people want their homes cleaned right before the weekend because that's when guests come, they still figure i'm sitting around on a Friday twiddling my thumbs?

Ms. G, my Wednesday lady, very kindly said i could come next Thursday afternoon so i can do the Pastor's house on Wednesday, after i take care of the cat shelter.

The cat shelter on Wednesday morning has been quite an adventure.  My first assistant proved to be very unreliable.  The second was great, until her school schedule changed and she had to give it up so she could go to class.

The most recent lady got pneumonia, and then lost her house in the flooding.  So i am still it on Wednesday mornings, feeding, watering, and changing or scooping every litter box in the place.  That generally amounts to about 50 litter boxes.

Yes, then i go clean a house after that.  Ms. G's house, usually, which takes two hours to vacuum.  She is insistent that the vacuuming be done slowly.  "We are not just trying to get stuff off of the surface of the carpet, we are cleaning the carpet.  That means going slowly so as to pull out more than just the surface dirt."

She's a nice lady, Ms. G, who has her ways.  If she's willing to pay me to take two hours to vacuum, i'm not going to argue with her.

My extra-busy Fridays are running into another problem that has gotten worse around here, which is traffic.  We can pretty well count on there being an accident on the interstate every single day, and thus the major surface streets becoming impassible.  This makes getting to two jobs and two volunteer gigs in one day in different parts of town quite an adventure.

That's just another reason to like Saturday, i usually don't have too many places to go or things to do.  When i do, i can go at my own pace.

Today's pace includes a nap again.


Today is:

A Community Affair -- Menomonee Falls, WI, US (country lunch, arts, crafts, and collectibles, quilt raffle, juried art show, and more)

Air Force Day -- India

American Touch Tag Day -- go outside and remember how much fun it is to play tag

Apple Butter Festival -- Berkeley Springs, WV, US (simmering spicy apple butter in copper kettles in the town square, plus lots more; through tomorrow)

Blessing of the Fishing Fleet -- Jetty #2, V&A Waterfront, Cape Town, South Africa (a festival, and Portuguese food, and a blessing tomorrow from the local Catholic Archbishop)

Catoctin Colorfest -- Thurmont, MD, US (juried art festival, live music, food, and more; through tomorrow)

Cephalopod Awareness Days:  Octopus Day -- celebrating the most intelligent invertebrates in the world; today, celebrate all the eight-armed species

Children's Day -- Iran

Chowder Days/Chowderfest -- Mystic Seaport, Mystic, CT, US (a beautiful, and delicious, riverfront festival featuring seven kinds of New England Chowders; through Monday)

Cohocton Fall Foliage Festival -- Cohocton, NY, US (with the world famous tree-sitting contest; through tomorrow)

Dashain Festival -- Hindu (also called Dussehra, Dashera, Phulpati/Fulpaati, or Navratri, a celebration of victory of Lord Rama over evil; official government holidays for this multi-day festival vary throughout India, Nepal, Bhutan, and other countries with large populations of Hindus)

Fall Astronomy Day -- Bringing Astronomy to the People (local astronomical societies, planetariums, museums and observatories sponsor public viewings, presentation, workshops, etc., to increase public awareness of astronomy and our amazing universe)
Saturday at or before the first quarter moon between mid-September and mid-October
     sponsored by The Astronomical League; find out what your local astronomy society is doing today, and go enjoy

Feast of St. Bridget -- Sweden (traditional date, others who recognize the saint celebrate on July 23; Patron of widows; Europe; Sweden)

Feast of St. Keyne -- Celtic Saint, patroness of the spring and tree arbor that bear her name; the first to drink of her water after being newly married will have the upper hand in the marriage

Harvest Celebration -- Billings Farm, Woodstock, VT, US ('tis the season, especially for apple cider and lots of pumpkins; through tomorrow)

Independence Day -- Croatia

Jack-O-Launch/Punkin Chunkin Colorado -- DeLaney Farm, Aurora, CO, US (with the official Punkin Chunkin Contest, divisions include trebuchet, compressed air cannon, catapult, human power, and youth; a free festival for the whole family)

Louisiana Art & Folk Festival -- Columbia, LA, US (celebrating the rich folklore and music arts of Louisiana)

Lovable Lawyers Day -- internet generated, and if you love one, good for you

Monster Myths by Moonlight -- Milford, KS, US (wear your costume and take a nature walk to learn the truth about such Halloween "monsters" as bats, snakes, spiders, vultures, etc.)

Mountain Glory Festival -- Marion, NC, US (celebrating the mountain heritage)

National Fluffernutter Day

National Pierogi Day -- this day in 1952, Ted Twardzik, Sr., produced Mrs. T's Pierogies samples and took them to a local grocery store; eat a pierogi today in his honor

Navaratri Dusserha/Dasain/Dashain/Dasara -- Hindu (Festival of Dirva, wife of Shiva, and a time to go back home and reconnect with family, especially in Nepal and parts of India; through the 13th; local dates and official government days off will vary)

Navy Day/Battle of Angamos Day -- Peru

Oyster Festival -- Chincoteague Island, VA, US (oysters served almost every way imaginable, all you can eat!)

Pine Barrens Jamboree -- Waretown, NJ, US (celebration of New Jersey Pinelands, with canoeing, nature walks, music, kids' activities, and more; free!)

Prater's Mill Country Fair -- Dalton, GA, US (a Southern festival of quality artists, craftsmen, music, and food; through tomorrow)

San Ernesto Day -- celebration of Che Guevera as a saint who answers prayers for rain among Bolivian campesinos

Scenic Drive Festival -- Van Buren County, IA, US (includes flea markets, an arts festival, and historic architecture; through tomorrow)

Sedona Arts Festival -- Sedona, AZ, US (celebration of visual, performing, and culinary arts, with proceeds going to student art programs and scholarships; through tomorrow)

Sergeant Alvin C. York Day -- US (the feats for which he earned the Medal of Honor in 1918 were accomplished on this date)

Shaker Village Harvest Festival -- Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village, New Gloucester, ME, US (with free demonstrations and paid workshops and events)

St. Demetrius' Day (Patron of Belgrade, Serbia; Salonica, Greece; Thessaloniki, Greece; against evil spirits)

St. Pelagia the Penitant's Day (Patron of actresses)

St. Thais' Day (Patron of fallen women)

Tube Top Day -- if you dare. i don't

Vermont Apple Festival -- Springfield, VT, US (family fun, farm animals, food, farmer's market, crafts, and apples; a true family oriented event held at Riverside Middle School)


Anniversary Today:

Ozzie Nelson marries Harriet Hilliard, 1935


Birthdays Today:

Matt Damon, 1970
Darrell Hammond, 1960
Stephanie Zimbalist, 1956
Bill Elliot, 1955
Sigourney Weaver, 1949
Sarah Purcell, 1948
Chevy Chase, 1943
R. L. Stine, 1943
Jesse Jackson, 1941
Harvey Pekat, 1939
Paul Hogan, 1939
Clodagh Aubry, 1937
Rona Barrett, 1936
Faith Ringgld, 1930
Juan Peron, 1895
Eddie Rickenbacker, 1890
Benito Jerónimo Feijóo y Montenegro, 1676
Heinrich Schutz, 1585


Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Cagney and Lacey"(TV), 1981
"Sugar Babies"(Revue)< 1979
"The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet"(Radio), 1944
"Capricorn Concerto"(Barber Op. 21), 1944
"In the Shadow of the Glen"(Play), 1903


Today in History:

Constantine, Emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire, defeats Licinius, Emperor of the Western Roman Empire, at the Battle of Cibalae, 314
Great standing on the Ugra river, a standoff between the forces of Akhmat Khan, Khan of the Great Horde, and the Grand Duke Ivan III of Russia, which resulted in the retreat of the Tataro-Mongols and eventual disintegration of the Horde, 1480
The supernova "Kepler's Nova" is first sighted, 1604
The Massachusetts Bay Colony forms its first government, 1633
First recorded eruption of Galunggung (volcano of West Java, Indonesia) sends boiling sludge into the valley (this volcano would later erupt at such a time as to cause passenger jets to be damaged and forced into emergency landings), 1822
The first Hawai'ian constitution is proclaimed, 1840
The telegraph line from LA to SF opens, 1860

A gas explosion causes the Peshtigo Fire, in Peshtigo, Wisconsin, which killed between 1,200 and 2,500 people and consumed the entire town of Peshtigo and surrounding forests and several other villages -- the deadliest fire in American history, it covered 1.5 million acres, and occured on the same day as the Great Chicago Fire, 1871

The Great Chicago Fire, which consumed 4 square miles, killed 200, and destroyed the original Emancipation Proclamation, began, 1871

The first women's prison run by women opens at the Indiana Reformatory Institute, 1873
Dow Jones begins reporting an average of selected industrial stocks, 1896
Edmonton, Alberta and Prince Albert, Saskatchewan are incorporated as cities in Canada, 1904
New York Yankees's Don Larsen pitched the only perfect game in a World Series; one of only 20 perfect games in MLB history, 1956
Algeria joins the United Nations, 1962
Guerrilla leader Che Guevara and his men are captured in Bolivia, 1967
Australia's Ken Warby sets the current world water speed record of 317.60mph at Blowering Dam, Australia, 1978
A deadly earthquake hits Pakistan, 2005
Australian mare Black Caviar ties the horse racing record set by Phar Lap with an unbeaten run of 14 wins, 2011